to 17 for 4 in the second.As the game progressed,

Even though the result of the first Test between New Zealand and Zimbabwe was decided before Sunday, captains Kane Williamson and Graeme Cremer did not expect the match to end without a fight. Williamson already saw signs of it on the first day; Cremer was preparing to be in the thick of it on the fourth.The Zimbabwe captain had already bowled 53 overs, including a marathon spell of 26 on the second day, batted for half an hour to drag the game out a little longer at the end of the third but he knew the fourth day would bring its greatest challenge: to ensure that even though Zimbabwe were going to lose, they would lose with some respectability.We spoke about it after the first innings. We thought we were a little bit soft upfront but being in the field for so long, we realised what Test cricket is about, Cremer said. We watched them (New Zealand) bat. They didnt play any shots out of frustration or anger and we wanted to do the same.Despite the frustration of being so far behind the game and the anger that his men had not executed themselves as well as they could have, Cremer did not let that bleed into his batting. For five minutes short of three hours, he stoically saw off a New Zealand attack that was pushing for a quick result. He accepted the body blows that included being hit in the ribs, on the shoulder and on the arm he broke just before the World T20, which still has a plate in it. He let his team-mate Sean Williams, who had spent the past two days in the grip of a flu that has spread to more than half the Zimbabwean squad, have his moment in the sun.I knew batting with Sean, he scored quite freely anyway, so I knew I had to play the supporting role. He was hitting a boundary an over and we didnt need to score quicker than that. I just needed to stay there, Cremer said. He was feeling quite ill but credit to him. He was a little bit loose when he got out to bat and got a bit lucky but there he dominated. The player that he is, he can do that on wickets like this. He has got good hands and good eyes.Williams century, the fastest by a Zimbabwean in Tests and decorated with 21 fours that included cover drives, sweeps and a ramp shot, will overshadow Cremers silent resistance at the other end, Craig Ervines first fifty, Donald Tiripanos unbeaten 49 and Prince Masvaures impressive 42 on debut, and it should. But collectively, all those performances speak to a Zimbabwean batting line-up that is not as fragile as it looked when twin collapses saw it fall to 72 for 8 in the first innings and a top-order meltdown reduced them to 17 for 4 in the second.As the game progressed, the batsmens long-format muscle memory kicked in. At the same time, the New Zealand attack could not sustain the level of aggression that had seen them surge into the advantage earlier. Neil Wagner could not keep banging in the short ball, the hint of movement Tim Southee found was eventually lost and Trent Boult reached a top speed of 132kph but kept his average at 128.2kph. Williamson had expected all of that to happen.The way we bowled in the first innings was a huge part of how we got ahead. When you are tying to bowl that again, its going to be extremely challenging, he said. Sometimes, on surfaces like this one, you need to try and be a little bit creative. You want to try and make things hostile and difficult but you also need to be patent and build pressure. It was a very good effort to get 20 wickets. We knew it was going to be tough. We had to fight very hard to pick up the wickets that we did.Williamson had to use creative field placings, his spinners and a lot of patience while he waited for Wagner to find reverse-swing as the ball reached the end of its lifetime. He understood that things would happen slower than they had in the first innings but trusted that they would eventually happen. Neil has showed us he can be pretty creative with the older ball which is useful on surfaces that are not offering swing, Williamson said.Ross Taylor was preferred as the Man of the Match over Wagner but it was clear that even Williamson thought his left-armer was the man who changed the game. That first innings put us ahead of the game. It was extremely important to have some hostile bowling on a surface that didnt offer much, he said.In the end, Zimbabwe lost the real fight on the first morning but they will take heart from knowing they picked themselves out to compete in the smaller battles that came later on. Cheap Authentic Jordan 8 . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. 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The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. PITTSBURGH -- Say what you will about the Pittsburgh Pirates questionable moves at the trade deadline or the poor numbers former National League Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen has had most of the season.Right now, things are looking up.Going into what could be a wild-card showdown against the Miami Marlins starting Friday at PNC Park, the Pirates are en fuego.Pittsburgh (62-56), which was off Thursday, just completed a 5-1 West Coast road trip -- including a three-game sweep in San Francisco. Since June 24, the Pirates 28-17 record is the best in baseball.They stand one game behind St. Louis for the second wild-card spot, and 1 1/2 games ahead of Miami (62-59) in that chase after the Marlins dropped a 5-4 decision at Cincinnati on Thursday night.Weve been a confident group all year. Road trips like this really bring a team together, Pittsburgh closer Tony Watson told MLB.com. Were playing great baseball right now. Playing well down the stretch has been key the last few years. ... This year is no different.McCutchens two-run homer Thursday, his 17th of the season, was huge in a 6-5 win over the Giants. Although he is batting .248 overall, McCutchens average in August is .317.Ive turned something, McCutchen told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. I dont know if its turning a page or a corner or something. Things are going well for us. Going well for me, too.Ive been getting pitches to hit, hitting them, having good at-bats, seeing the ball. They try to hit a location. Miss a location, Im able to make them pay.An unexpected bump in the Pirates good play recently is right-hander Gerrit Cole (7-8, 3.17 ERA), who is scheduled to start Friday. The presumed ace of the staff entering the season has deallt with some inconsistency and injuries.ddddddddddddIn his past two starts, Cole is 0-2, has failed to get through the sixth inning and has given up a combined nine runs on 15 hits. However, he could be aided by being at home, where he has a 2.94 ERA over his past nine starts.The Marlins are not as comfortable at PNC Park, where they are 16-31.On Friday, Miami will start right-hander Tom Koehler (9-8, 3.86 ERA), who is 0-4 with a 5.73 ERA in four career starts against the Pirates.However, Koehler has been arguably the Marlins best starter of late. In his past five starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA.Its not like he doesnt have good stuff, Miami manager Don Mattingly told reporters earlier this month. His stuff is good.Hes got a good breaking ball that most guys dont really hit. He can change speeds and hes a little erratic. He can be effectively wild. You dont quite know what youre going to get with Tom. To me, thats part of his success.Success that hasnt been matched team-wide lately. Miami has lost three straight games, three series in a row and four of its past five series.The Pirates, meanwhile, have won four consecutive series and could put some distance between themselves and the Marlins in the wild-card scenario this weekend.Obviously, this is the time of year teams make or break themselves, Pittsburghs Matt Joyce told MLB.com. Its nice to see some guys turn the corner and keep fighting and keep pushing, because its very easy to just say, Were not in the race, and just kind of roll over. Its exciting, man. Its exciting to be a part of, and were having a lot of fun. ' ' '